Matt Keogh (Burt, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

KEOGH (—) (): I thank the member for Hasluck for her very important question and for her service as part of Unit 109 Signals Army Reserve as well. When a person enlists in ADF, they are signing up to serve their country, to serve the people of Australia, but the rate of veteran suicide in Australia is a national tragedy. It is a rate that is significantly higher than across the general Australian population. Indeed, Australia has lost more serving and former serving personnel to suicide over the last 20 years than it did over the same period of operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. That is why the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide needed to happen. This government called for that royal commission when we were in opposition. It's why, when the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide provided its interim report to the government on 11 August, this government saw that it was tabled in parliament and made public that same day. That day, on behalf of the government, I welcomed the report and provided the government's initial response. Today I followed through on our commitment then to formally respond to the report as soon as possible, today presenting our formal response.

We have a lot of work to do, but we are a responsible government that will take action. We are doing that from today, and the interim report's 13 recommendations fall into three key themes: improving claims processing, administration of the royal commission and access to information by loved ones. The government has already implemented one of those recommendations. We have agreed to nine, we have agreed in principle to one and we have noted two others. We have agreed to develop a pathway to simplify and harmonise veterans compensation and rehabilitation legislation. We will work to eliminate the claims backlog and improve the veterans' experience of the administration of the claims system. We're liaising with the Department of Veterans' Affairs on their funding needs on a regular basis. We have removed the Department of Veterans' Affairs average staffing cap.

We agree in principle to work to increase the protections for people who engage with the royal commission. We've noted the importance of access to information whilst protecting the freedom of speech in this parliament and the need for the royal commissioners to have access to the information they need and will improve policies and practices around public interest immunity. We have also agreed to recommendations 9 through 13 to improve the release of information from Defence and DVA to family about a deceased family member.

A lot of work is already underway, but we are under no illusion. There is a lot more work to do. The royal commission and the government's response is also an opportunity to shine a light on the supports that are available, and we will continue to improve promotion of them into all corners of the community of defence families and veterans and their families. Our government is committed to the task of saving lives and ensuring a better future for our defence and veteran communities.

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